Cincinnati Bengals: 5 Guys Who Must Leave Cincy

As much as I love the Cincinnati Reds (and baseball season itself), I have to admit, I find myself missing the black and orange of the Bengals already. After the scrappy team fought to a shocking 9-7 playoff season, the entire city of Cincinnati was buzzing.

Now the season is over, and it's time to look ahead. Unfortunately, there does come a time when a guy becomes dead weight and needs to leave town.

These guys have seen their time come and go in the 513, and it's time for them to move on.

Honorable Mention: Mike Brown, Owner

The only reason he's nothing more than an honorable mention on this list is because I know it's a waste of my time to campaign for him to finally part ways with Cincinnati.

I don't care about his "genius" move with Carson Palmer—he lucked into it because he's a stubborn, senile old man.

The sooner he leaves, the sooner things look to the stars in Cincinnati.

Nate Clements, Cornerback

Make no mistake, Nate Clements' career has definitely been a pretty darn good one. I give the man all the respect for what he's done in the NFL.

At this point, though, it may be time for Clements to consider hanging up the cleats. He may only be 32, but that's pretty old for a secondary athlete. His better years are certainly behind him—those falling in the timeframe of 2002-2006.

Last season, Clements gathered 55 tackles and a couple of interceptions in 15 games. He may have played in 15, but he struggled with injuries almost the entire season. 

He had to be the top corner once Leon Hall tore his Achilles, but it became clear pretty quickly that he wasn't capable of covering a decent NFL receiver. He was constantly getting burned and repeatedly fell down in a game against the Cleveland Browns, who don't have any receivers of note.

It's likely the Bengals will be selecting a cornerback come April, so Clements may have seen his final days in Cincinnati.

Jerome Simpson, Wide Receiver

Coming into the 2011 season, I had astronomical hopes for Jerome Simpson. For three years, he'd been a massive disappointment, collecting a handful of receptions after being a second-round draft pick.

In the final two games of the 2010-11 season, Simpson collected 18 receptions and three touchdowns. It seemed that he'd finally arrived.

2011 wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that impressive, either. Simpson, the No. 2 receiver behind A.J. Green, made 50 catches for 725 yards and four touchdowns. While those numbers aren't terrible, they don't really make a case for Simpson to be such a big part of the Bengals' offense again in 2012.

Jordan Shipley will be returning from injury and, dare I say, Andrew Hawkins is a better overall player than Simpson. Plus, Simpson has quite the laundry list of issues off the field.

Time to cut the cord and report the "Simpson Project" an overall failure.

Nate Livings, Guard

Nate Livings definitely has the size to be a decent guard, weighing in at more than 330 lbs. The problem is his weight may be the exact thing holding him back.

I can't say that for sure, but something certainly seems to keep Livings from making blocks. Defenders were constantly making their way past Livings and—though Andy Dalton was well-protected in an overall sense—pressuring Dalton.

I'm actually not impressed with either guard position, but right guard Clint Boling may improve with some work. Livings is now a four-year veteran, and nothing has improved.

With speculation placing Cordy Glenn or possibly David DeCastro with Cincinnati in the 2012 draft's first round, it's likely that Livings is done.

Chris Crocker, Safety

Wait, Andrew, didn't you already mention someone from the Bengals' secondary? 

Yes, yes I did.

Fact is, the Bengals' secondary is awful right now. Leon Hall will be coming off an Achilles injury, and I've already discussed Nate Clements. Reggie Nelson, the other safety on this team, had a far better season than Chris Crocker, though he's not that great himself.

As for Crocker, I've always thought him to be an average safety. He's not great with coverage and is even worse when it comes to tackling. Crocker had 61 tackles in 2011, which actually isn't bad—but there were times when he couldn't read a passer if the quarterback told him what he was going to do.

While no signs point to Crocker leaving town, the Bengals would do well to cut ties.

Cedric Benson, Running Back

I hate to bash Cedric Benson, because I truly appreciate what he has meant to the Bengals since his addition to the team in 2008, but I do believe he may be best to retire at this point in his career.

Benson was a first-round selection by the Chicago Bears in the 2005 draft and was a bust there. He was cut by the team in 2007. Cincinnati picked him up the following season, and Benson flourished while playing in the Queen City.

Now his contract is up, and he's really just been a filler for the past couple seasons. He had 1,111 yards in 2010 and 1,067 this season—both while averaging less than four yards per carry.

There's no case for the Bengals to sign Benson again. It's almost a shoo-in that they will be selecting Trent Richardson, Lamar Miller or Chris Polk in the draft, and this leaves Benson out in the cold.

For the record, I do hope he lands somewhere.

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